Magia
by ice and coffee
Summary: A strange dream and a strange day later, Tsuna finds himself thrown into a world unlike anything he'd ever seen before. And somehow, he knew - things were never going to be the same again. Based on Puella Magi Madoka Magica. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Coffee does not own KHR or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica...**

**Most of the dialogue and action are pulled directly from the anime, but some speaking roles and parts are switched or edited. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter One

Tsuna raced through the endless maze of buildings and hallways. Nothing made sense to him anymore, but something compelled him to move forward. Pushing open a heavy door in front of him, he halted with an astonished gasp. He was on top of a destroyed building and stuck on top of a tall tree. A tall, unknown object floated amongst a sky of destruction and chaos. Tsuna ran to the edge, grasping the railing with both hands.

On top of a building, several meters away, a raven head was staring at the said object with a steely gaze. Then, he jumped up to face it, a pair of tonfas raised at the ready. Strange bursts of orange flame attacked the boy, but he dodged and repelled it with his tonfas, which were now giving off purple flames.

"That's terrible!" Tsuna said, clenching his fists while he watched the battle.

"There's no helping it." The brunette glanced down at the speaker. "This was too much for him to handle alone. But he came here knowing that." The white cat-like creature remarked, its white tail swishing back and forth.

As Tsuna turned his eyes back to the fight, a sudden orange flame slammed into the raven-haired boy, throwing him into a tree. "But that's too much!" Tsuna said. "This can't be right!" The boy opened his eyes, meeting the worried gaze of Tsuna. He seemed to be trying to tell him something, but Tsuna couldn't tell from where he was standing.

"If he gives up, it's over," the creature said. It stared at Tsuna in the eyes. "But you have the power to change fate itself…" Tsuna stared at him in disbelief, taking in sight of the destroyed city. "All this inevitable destruction and tragedy…you can change it, if you want. The power to do so lies within you."

Tsuna took a few hesitant steps forward, towards the creature. "Can I really?" The boy that had been fighting was now falling from the tree, down towards the ground. His cold gaze was fixed on Tsuna. "Can I really do something to help? Could I really change this ending?"

"Of course you could." His non-human companion answered with a rather cheerful voice, considering their situation. "So make a contract with me…and become an Arcobaleno!"

Looking down, Tsuna hesitated for a few seconds. But then he looked up with a determined look in his eyes.

…And then he woke up. Scrambling up, he let out a shriek. "Hiiiiee!" Taking in his surroundings, he breathed a sigh of relief. "It was all just a dream?"

* * *

**Beta'd by Pudding Earl - thank you so much~ o w o**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Coffee does not own KHR or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica...**

**Most of the dialogue and action are pulled directly from the anime, but some speaking roles and parts are switched or edited. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter Two

"I'm late again!" Tsuna yelled as he raced down the stairs, coming to an ungraceful halt as he slammed into the wall in front of him. Pulling himself up gently, Tsuna muttered, "Ow, it hurts…" He quickly tied his shoes, calling out, "I'm heading out!" Tsuna didn't wait for his mother's reply before rushing out the door, school bag gripped firmly in his hand.

Tsuna ran towards the usual meeting spot where his friends waited. "Good morning!" he called out, seeing two dark-haired girls already standing there.

"Good morning," Yuni replied, smiling brightly at the brunette.

Aria grinned. "You're late again, Tsuna-kun!"

It was strange how alike the two girls were – they had the same hair color, eye color, and they even had the same smile. One could almost mistaken them for twins, but they weren't related at all. The three walked to school together, laughing and joking around. And soon enough, they were already in front of the school.

"Ahem, I want you all to listen very closely!" Their teacher, a woman with bright-red hair named M.M. glared daggers at the class. "When frying an egg, should it be fried sunny side-up or over hard?" She pointed an expo marker at an unfortunate boy. "Yamamoto-san – what do you think?"

The tall baseball player laughed uneasily. "Ha ha, well…They can be fried either way, can't they?"

"Precisely!" their teacher said furiously. "They can be fried either way! And it should go without saying…" M.M. snapped the marker in half with her bare hands, launching into a lecture about girls, boyfriends, and fried eggs. Poor Tsuna was shivering in his seat and watching the furious teacher anxiously. "Guess it didn't work out for her," Yuni commented with a small smile.

"Well then," their teacher's personality took a sudden one-eighty. "Now that that's out of the way, let's welcome our new transfer student! Come in, Hibari-san!"

A raven-haired boy walked into the class, hands stuffed in his pockets and a bored look on his face. Tsuna blinked at the sight of the new transfer student – wasn't that the boy from his dream? What was going on?

"Now then, why don't you tell your classmates about yourself?" M.M. said, as the dark-haired boy turned around to finally face the class.

"Hn. My name is Hibari Kyoya. If you crowd, I will bite you to death." With that said, he shot a glare towards everyone in the room, but then directed it at Tsuna. The brunette looked ready to faint any minute, and was on the verge of shrieking like a girl.

* * *

At break, Hibari earned many curious stares from his classmates, especially the girls. But everyone was too afraid to go near him, on account of his earlier, "I'll bite you to death" statement. Aria and Yuni were gathered at Tsuna's seat again, but today their topic was on the new transfer student. They all glanced at him curiously.

"Tsuna, do you know that boy?" Yuni asked, blue eyes blinking. "It might be just me, but it seemed like he was glaring at you in particular earlier." Tsuna fidgeted uncomfortably, remembering the ice-cold stare he had received from the mysterious student. Despite his intimidating atmosphere, Tsuna had a feeling that Hibari didn't really mean him harm.

Suddenly, Hibari rose from his seat and walked briskly to where the three friends were. "Herbivore. You are the Nurse's Aide for this class, are you not?" he asked coldly. Tsuna squeaked, nodding hastily.

"Accompany me." It wasn't a request – it was an order. As Tsuna stood up, Yuni and Aria shot him worried looks. He gave them a wavering smile before following after Hibari, probably to his doom.

As they walked down the hallways, Tsuna couldn't help but notice the whispers of the other students. "U-um…how did you know I was the Nurse's Aide?" he asked, voice trembling as he trailed behind the raven head. He received no reply. As they neared a bend, he raised his voice again. "T-the nurse's office..." Before he could reply, Hibari had already made the turn. As he followed reluctantly, Tsuna tried making attempts at small talk. "Um…Hibari-san?"

"Call me Kyoya."

Tsuna gawked at the unexpected response. He quickly shut his mouth, before Hibari could notice it. "Kyoya-san..?"

"What?"

"Oh, um…" Tsuna fidgeted as he walked along. "T-that's a cool name! I m-mean…" He trailed off fearfully with another squeak as Hibari suddenly turned around to face him.

"Herbivore. If you try changing who you are, you will end up losing everything." Tsuna stared in surprise, mouth hanging open again. "You should stay as you are, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Without another word, Hibari turned around again and walked off, his shoes echoing in the long hallway. Tsuna stared after him in confusion, still in the same spot.

It wasn't until after Hibari left that Tsuna let out a wailing shriek. "Hiiiiieee?"

* * *

**Beta'd by Pudding Earl - thank you so much~ o w o**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Coffee does not own KHR or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica...**

**Most of the dialogue and action are pulled directly from the anime, but some speaking roles and parts are switched or edited. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter Three

"Huh? He said what?" Yuni blinked in confusion, strawberry halfway to her mouth. The three friends had headed to the usual café they always went to after school ended. Tsuna was giving them an account of what the new student had told him, waving his arms around in panic and worry.

"It doesn't make any sense at all!" he all but shrieked.

Aria smiled at him, trying to placate the frantic brunette. "Tsuna-kun, are you sure you've never met Hibari-san before?"

"I would say yes, but…" Tsuna glanced down at his plate worriedly, wondering how he should word his sentence. "Last night…I first met him…in a dream…" His voice took on an uncertain pitch as he fiddled with his fingers. "Or something." Tsuna finished lamely, looking at his two friends. They were both drinking their soda, a wide smile on both their faces. As they put down their drinks in unison, the two girls began laughing.

Turning a healthy shade of pink, Tsuna protested, "That's mean! This is really bothering me!"

"Well, it's all obvious now," Aria smiled teasingly, leaning forward. "You must have known each other in a previous life, and were brought by fate across time and space to meet once again!"

As Tsuna opened his mouth to protest again, Yuni swiftly cut him off. "You said you met in a dream. What kind of dream was it?" she asked, stirring her tea cup.

"It was…" Tsuna frowned, then started to pull on his hair in anxiety. "I-I can't remember anymore! It was just really strange!"

Aria smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Tsuna-kun. You probably met Hibari-san somewhere before. Though you may not remember him yourself, your conscious could have taken notice of him, and later brought him out in your dream." Tsuna looked a bit relieved at her statement. The three of them pondered over thought of Tsuna's dream, before Aria glanced at her phone. "Oh, it's already this late?" Standing up, she got ready to leave. "I'd better get going now."

Yuni smiled as she watched her friend leave. "Piano lessons? Or is it Japanese classical dance today?" Aria shook her head as she picked up her bag.

"Tea ceremony."

After she left, Tsuna looked at Yuni. "Should we get going too?" Yuni nodded, but Tsuna saw the hesitance in her eyes. "What's wrong, Yuni?"

"Um…do you mind if we stopped at the music store on the way home?"

Tsuna smiled at her request. "That's fine. Buying another CD for Gamma?"

Smiling in reply, Yuni answered, "Sort of."

As Tsuna listened to one of the new CDs they had at the store, a sudden voice called out to him in his mind. _"Help me…"_ He gasped in surprise, pulling the headphones off his head. As he frowned, thinking he'd just imagined the voice, it called out to him again. _"Help me…Tsunayoshi-kun…"_ Stepping back from the machine, he glanced around in confusion. _"Please…save me…"_

Without warning, he suddenly began running in the direction of the voice. Tsuna arrived at an abandoned area of the mall, dim lights casting an eerie glow over the dark hallways. He stopped in front of a flight of stairs. It was blocked, and a red signpost declared that the floor was closed due to remodeling.

Ignoring the warning, Tsuna raced up the steps, adrenaline pushing him forward. Although he was regarded as a useless coward, Tsuna never failed to help those in need. He pushed open the door, revealing a dark and abandoned room. The only source of light was the flickering green exit sign hanging above the door.

The brunette tiptoed in, calling out cautiously. "Where are you?" Further in, and he could see the faraway glass windows that let in small rays of light. "Who are you?" A gate appeared in his sight, and Tsuna stopped short of it.

_"Save me…"_

There it was. The voice again, but it was louder and clearer now. Suddenly, one of the ceiling panels overhead shook violently and collapsed. A white cat-like creature with purple markings dropped from it, collapsing in heap on the floor. It was tattered and wounded, struggling to breathe. Tsuna's eyes widened as he picked the creature up.

"Is that you?"

"Save…me…"

There was no doubt. The creature's voice was the same as the one that called out to Tsuna. A rattle of chains alerted the two of another person's presence. As Tsuna looked up, he saw Hibari walking towards them, a furious look in his eyes. "Hiiiieee! K-Kyoya-san!"

"Get away from that thing," he said coldly, one hand holding onto the chains and another wielding a pair of handcuffs.

"B-but he's hurt!" Tsuna protested, unconsciously taking a step back. Seeing Hibari's unrelenting glare, Tsuna took another step back. "No! Please don't do something cruel!"

"Herbivore, get out of the way."

Hibari glared at him, eyes unflinching as he stepped forward. Tsuna stepped backwards in reply, the creature still in his grip. Then, out of nowhere, a burst of smoke enveloped the two. "Tsuna! This way!" Tsuna turned and saw Yuni, holding the fire extinguisher and pointing it at Hibari. Breathing a sigh of relief, he ran up to his dark-haired friend. Once Tsuna reached her side, Yuni threw the extinguisher at Hibari's direction and ran. Tsuna followed after her.

Staring at the fading smoke, Hibari clicked his tongue in annoyance. Raising his right hand, he watched a purple flame light up the ring on his finger. With a casual wave, the smoke cleared up within seconds and the room was restored. Before he could take another step, a bright light flashed. Various colors and shapes began to form, a dominant pattern of butterflies flashing and nonsense objects forming. Soon, it filled up the place and Hibari could no longer see the original room he had been in. "Now, of all times…" He glared at the offending shapes.

* * *

Tsuna and Yuni ran furiously ahead, passing through the dark hallway. "W-what is up with that boy?" Yuni gasped while she ran, Tsuna a few steps behind her. "Why is he attacking people? And what is that thing? It's not a stuffed animal, is it? It's alive?" she asked while they ran, staring at the still form of the white creature Tsuna was holding onto.

"I don't know!" Tsuna said in a rushed and worried voice. "I don't know what any of this is. But we have to save him!" Somehow he just knew that the creature was a male. His intuition told him to beware of the creature, but Tsuna brushed aside the warning bells for now.

As the two of them ran, butterflies and gates appeared, along with other shapes. The strange thing about them was that they looked two dimensional, and some of the objects looked like they had been drawn by hand. "What is this place?" Yuni asked fearfully as they stopped, both scanning their surroundings.

"T-there's something wrong with this place!" Tsuna said as he turned around in circles. "The path keeps changing." By now, the hallway they had been running in had disappeared and was replaced by black trees and…were those eyes? The two friends stared in confusion and panic, turning around and watching the nonsense landscape change and move. Suddenly, Tsuna turned around. "There's something over there!"

Strange figures, with the head of a cotton ball and fake paper-looking mustaches, giggled menacingly. They seemed to be chanting something as butterflies flew around and roses grew out of the ground. Runes flew around them, and the two pulled closer together as the chanting grew louder. The strange creatures had now surrounded the two, and black scissors were flying around, snapping open and close their blades.

"I must be dreaming, right?" Yuni tried to justify. It looked like a scene from a nightmare. "Right? Tsuna?" She frantically added when Tsuna didn't answer. The cotton ball figures loomed closer, growing two mismatched vortexes for eyes.

Suddenly, two circles of chains landed on the ground, putting Tsuna and Yuni in the center. A burst of indigo flames flared out, making the strange creatures jump back. The floor shifted into a kaleidoscope of colors, forming strange flower patterns.

"That was close," a calming and mature voice said. "But you're safe now." Tsuna and Yuni broke apart, only to see another girl walking towards them from a strange tunnel of darkness and color. She was wearing the same uniform as Yuni, and an eye patch covered her right eye. On her right hand was a ring, and it was glowing indigo. Seeing the white figure in Tsuna's arms, she smiled brightly. "Oh! You rescued Byakuran for me, didn't you? Thank you. He's a dear friend of mine."

Tsuna glanced at the cat-like creature before answering. "I-I heard his voice inside my head."

"Ah, I see." The girl smiled. "Those uniforms…you must be students at Namimori Middle School too. Are you second-years?"

Yuni nodded, before breaking out into a sincere smile. "And you are?"

"That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet." She turned around, hearing the chains rattle. Her pineapple-like hairstyle waved in the sudden gust of wind. "But before all that…" The glow on her ring turned into a full indigo flame. "…mind if I wrap up a bit of work?" Her ring transformed into a pair of earrings, the crystal pieces dangling from her ears and a trident appeared in her hands.

The cloud-like creatures went into a frenzied state as she jumped away, trying to surround her. Jumping up, she pointed her trident at the cotton balls and crow-like creatures appeared. They attacked simultaneously and destroyed the crowd of mustache wearing cotton balls. Tsuna and Yuni watched in amazement.

The walls began turning colors and fading to reveal the dark hallway they had been in before. "We're back," Tsuna sighed in relief and slumped his shoulders.

However, the purple-haired girl was staring down the hallway, where a dark figure watched them. "The Funeral Wreath escaped," she said to the figure. "If you want to finish it off, you'd better go after it right now. I'll let you take it this time."

The figure stepped out of the shadow to reveal Hibari, with his usual glare. "I have business here." His gaze flicked towards Tsuna.

"You don't read between the lines very well, do you?" the girl smiled, though it was tense. "I'm telling you I'll overlook what you did this time." Hibari turned to glare at her instead. "Don't you think it would be better for both of us to avoid unnecessary trouble?"

Giving all of them one last glare, he turned and left.

* * *

Tsuna and Yuni watched as the purple-haired girl lifted her ring towards the white creature. It began giving off a light indigo light again, and the creature began to stir. The light faded as the girl retracted her hand.

"Thank you, Chrome!" the creature said happily. "You're a life-saver!"

The girl with the eye patch – now identified as Chrome – smiled in reply. "If you want to thank anyone, it should be these two. I was just passing by."

The white creature turned around, its cat ears perking up. "Thank you very much. My name is Byakuran." Never mind that it had strange purple markings all over.

"W-were you the one who was calling me?" Tsuna asked Byakuran timidly.

Byakuran grinned. "Yes, I was, Sawada Tsunayoshi. And you, Yuni Millefiore."

"How do you know our names?" Yuni asked curiously, watching the creature twitch its tail back and forth.

"I came here because I have a request for you two," Byakuran smiled brightly. "I want you to make contracts with me and become Arcobalenos!"

* * *

**Beta'd by Pudding Earl - thank you so much~ o w o**

**Thank you, all those who reviewed! I'll admit, reading your reviews brought a stupid grin to my face and inspired me to crank out another chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Coffee does not own KHR or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica...**

**Most of the dialogue and action are pulled directly from the anime, but some speaking roles and parts are switched or edited. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter Four

"Hiiiieee! I'm late again!" Tsuna shrieked, rushing into the kitchen. His mother looked up from the dining table, smiling at him kindly.

"There's still some toast in the toaster," she called as he hurried past her. Tsuna grabbed the bread, preparing to leave. "Tsu-kun," Tsuna turned around nervously. His mother hardly used such a serious tone with him. "You came home really late last night. Where did you go?"

Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief. "I was invited to a senpai's house." He glanced out the window, remembering the events of yesterday…

* * *

_Chrome opened the door to her apartment. "I live here alone, so feel free to make yourselves comfortable." She smiled. "Though I'm afraid I don't have much to offer as refreshments…" As she hurried to the kitchen, Yuni and Tsuna took a seat at one of her tables._

_They glanced around the comfortable and cozy room, wondering briefly how she was able to afford such a nice place. Chrome returned to their table, setting down her load. She poured a cup of tea for them and then set down a platter of cake. As the two tried the cake, they both smiled. "Chrome-san, your cake is delicious!" Tsuna said, an easy smile on his face. Yuni nodded in agreement._

_"Thank you." Chrome glanced at each of them before continuing. "Since you two have been chosen by Byakuran as well, it means you are now involved in all of this." Tsuna turned to her, eyebrows furrowed in question. "So I thought there were a few things we should go over." She held out her right hand, showing them a simple ring. It had an indigo jewel set into a band of silver. "This is a Soul Gem. When Byakuran makes a contract, a Soul Gem is born." Drawing her hand back, Chrome glanced at it fondly. "It is the source of our magic, and also proof that we are Arcobalenos."_

_Yuni looked at the cat creature. "What about the contract?"_

_"I will grant you one wish – any wish you desire!" Byakuran announced cheerfully, tail swishing back and forth as he nibbled on a piece of marshmallow._

_"Eh?! Really?!" Tsuna said in disbelief._

_"Yes, anything you want. I can grant even the most impossible of miracles!"_

_"Even eternal youth?!"_

_"Yes, but in exchange for that wish, your Soul Gem is created. Those who possess a Soul Gem are duty-bound to do battle with Funeral Wreaths."_

_"Funeral Wreaths?"_

_Yuni glanced at Byakuran. "So what exactly is a Funeral Wreath? Are they different from Arcobalenos?"_

_"Hm…if Arcobalenos are born from wishes, then Funeral Wreaths are created from curses." Byakuran explained. "Just as Arcobalenos spread hope to the world, Funeral Wreaths spread despair. They're especially dangerous since they're invisible to regular humans~ Funeral Wreaths are the ones responsible for creating anxiety, hatred, rage, mistrust, and anything that's considered a disaster~"_

_"Many of the unexplained suicides and murders are caused by a Funeral Wreath's curse." Chrome said, looking down at her cup. "The darkness grows inside a human, until it consumes him from the inside out."_

_Frowning, Tsuna asked, "If the Funeral Wreaths are so dangerous, why haven't people noticed them yet?"_

_"Because Funeral Wreaths hide themselves deep within the labyrinths they create, and take care to never appear before human eyes, Tsunayoshi-kun~" Byakuran answered. "The maze-like place you wandered into was a labyrinth."_

_"They're very dangerous," Chrome added. "People who wander into one usually don't make it out alive."_

_"And you have to fight these things?!" Tsuna asked hysterically._

_Chrome nodded gravely. "Yes, often at the risk of my own life. That's why you two should think very carefully before deciding to become Arcobalenos." Her eye was dead serious. "Having been chosen by Kyubey, you have the rare chance to have any wish granted. But remember that wishes walk hand-in-hand with death."_

_"Hiiiieeee!" Tsuna shrieked._

_Yuni sighed, looking wistful. "This is really a tough choice…"_

_"To help you make up your minds," the two snapped their gaze towards Chrome. "Why don't you come along with me on a few Funeral Wreath hunts? You should see for yourself what it's like to battle Funeral Wreaths. Also, you should put a lot of thought about the wish you granted, and decide if it's worth putting yourself in danger for."_

* * *

"Tsu-kun, you're going to be late."

His mother's voice snapped Tsuna out of his daze and he gave another shriek. "Hiiiieeee! I've got to go!" With a hurried goodbye, he was out the door. Suddenly, a loud snarling came from behind him and he glanced back. "Hiiiieeeee!" He shrieked yet again as he doubled his speed, the barking dog barking and chasing him. After ten minutes of continuous running, dodging, and screaming, Tsuna finally managed to shake the bulldog off.

Aria and Yuni were already waiting for him. "Good morning," Aria laughed as Tsuna reached them, trying to regain his breath.

"Good mor-" Yuni stopped midsentence, staring at the white creature riding on Tsuna's shoulder. The brunette followed his gaze, to see Byakuran waving a white paw at Yuni.

"Good morning, Yuni-chan~"

"Hiiieeee! When did he get here!" Tsuna screamed. Aria glanced at him, one eyebrow raised.

"What's wrong, Tsuna?"

"O-oh, it's nothing at all!" Tsuna said, waving his arms in front of him frantically. Yuni settled for a small nod directed towards Byakuran. "L-let's just get going!" He said, pulling Aria forward. Yuni stared at the white creature, then smiled.

_"It seems like we can communicate just by thinking to each other like this." _Tsuna froze and turned around.

"HIIIEEEE?!" Oh, there was his signature shriek._ "What?! You mean we already have magical powers?!"_He thought, glancing back and forth between the white creature on his shoulder and Yuni.

_"No, no~ I'm just acting as an intermediary between your thoughts right now." _Tsuna gaped at Byakuran, trying to process all the big words that the creature had used._ "But it's handy being able to talk telepathically, isn't it?" _Yuni began catching up to them, a smile on her face.

_"This is really weird! I mean, really really weird!"_Again, Tsuna went into panic mode.

Aria blinked at the two of them, staring at each other. "Hey you two. What's going on?" The other two paused, looking at her. "You've been staring so intently into one another's eyes…"

"Huh? N-no, there's nothing going on!" Tsuna said defensively, raising his arms in protest.

An evil twinkle came into Aria's eyes. "No, don't tell me-" Tsuna stiffened. "-you're already close enough to communicate through your eyes alone?" That statement sent Tsuna into another burst of panic, desperately denying her remark. "Oh, but for two people to suddenly get that much closer overnight – what on earth did you do after I left you yesterday?"

Yuni smiled wryly. "It really isn't what you think it is-"

But by then, Aria was already running ahead of them, smirking in reply. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me!" She called back teasingly, as Yuni and Tsuna hurried to catch up with her.

"But it's really nothing!" Tsuna yelled frantically, nearly tripping in his own clusminess. "Hiiiieeee! What do we do, what do we do?!"

* * *

**Beta'd by Pudding Earl - thank you so much~ o w o**

**Thank you, again, for those reviews! I apologize for the delay, but things happened. One of them being school. I'll put up two chapters as a compensation~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Coffee does not own KHR or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica...**

**Most of the dialogue and action are pulled directly from the anime, but some speaking roles and parts are switched or edited. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter Five

In the classroom, the three friends sat down at their respective seats. Yuni glanced at the white form of Byakuran, perched on top of Tsuna's desk. _"Is it really okay for you to tag along to school with us?" _she asked worriedly.

_"Why not, Yuni-chan?" _Byakuran tilted his head slightly, smiling as usual.

Tsuna glanced at Yuni curiously, then caught her train of thought. _"D-didn't Kyoya-san try to kill you yesterday?" _Tsuna shuddered to think of what would have happened had Chrome not interfered. He probably would've ended up as a mess of blood and bones.

_"Actually, I think the school's the safest place. After all, Chrome-chan is here as well~"_

_"But Chrome-san is a third-year student! Her class is really far away!" _

A new voice broke into their conversation. _"Don't worry, I can hear you all perfectly." _

_"I can still reach her with my telepathy at this distance~"_

_"I promised to keep an eye of all of you, didn't I?" _Chrome's voice reassured them. _"Anyways, he doesn't seem to be the type to attack you in school." _

_"I-I hope you're right…" _Tsuna whimpered pathetically, remembering the murdering intent that rose from Hibari the day before. Even if his intuition told him that Hibari wouldn't hurt him, Tsuna was frightened to death of Hibari's hostile aura. Speak of the devil – the dark-haired boy walked into the classroom at that very moment. He sent a glare to Tsuna and Byakuran before sitting down. Tsuna shivered.

* * *

_"So that student is also an Arcobaleno?" Yuni asked, staring at Chrome's ring. "Just like you, Chrome-san?"_

_Chrome nodded, her voice grave. "Yes, there's no doubt about it. He seems to be a fairly powerful one too." _

_"Ehhh?! But doesn't that mean he's supposed to fight against the Funeral Wreaths as well?" Tsuna asked, confusion written all over his face. He couldn't comprehend why an Arcobaleno would attack another one. "So why did he start attacking me?!" _

_"It was me that he was after." Byakuran answered, sitting up from where he had been lying. "It seems like he was trying to prevent me from contracting a new Arcobaleno~" _

_"But why? If we're all fighting the same enemy, wouldn't it be better to have more of us?" Tsuna asked again. It didn't make any sense to him._

_"Not necessarily." They all turned to look at Chrome. Her eye was closed, and her expression was serious. "It's actually more common for Arcobalenos to contend against one another." Seeing the other two's confused looks, she explained, "There are certain rewards you can gain from defeating a witch." Her eye narrowed. "That's why sometimes, depending on the time and situation, Arcobalenos might actually battle each other for the right to those rewards." _

_"So basically…" Yuni began, as the eyes now turned to her. "…the reason Hibari-san was staring at Tsuna all day yesterday was because he knew Byakuran was trying to get to him?"_

_Chrome nodded. "Most likely, yes."_

* * *

Tsuna frowned in worry as he finished recalling what Chrome had explained to them.

_"Don't worry, Tsuna." _His pensive thoughts were broken by Yuni's kind voice. _"If he tries anything on you, I'll take him on for you." _She smiled. Tsuna was appreciative of his friend's kindness, but he seriously doubted that Yuni could do any damage to Hibari. _"And Chrome-san is also watching over us as well." _

_"That's right, I'll be here. You'll be fine." _The two underclassmen blinked in surprise, but both relaxed into the same smiles of relief. It was rather comforting to know that there was someone to watch their backs.

* * *

At lunch time, Yuni and Tsuna chose to visit the school rooftop. Yuni fed pieces of food from her lunch to an enthusiastic Byakuran. He seemed to like the marshmallows she brought more than anything else. The two of them seemed to get along pretty well. As for Tsuna, he couldn't shake off the feeling of foreboding whenever he looked at Byakuran. He did not regret saving the white creature's life, but he couldn't understand why his intuition was acting up. After all, it did not display any malicious intent…for now.

"Tsuna, have you come up with a wish yet?" Yuni asked as she sat back idly and watched the sky. Tsuna shook his head. Try as he might, he hadn't found something he desperately wished for. Sure, he no longer wanted to be bullied and he wished he wasn't such a fail, but none of these things had seriously hindered him. Besides, he already had two very close friends.

"Not really…Have you?"

Yuni shook her head, tracing the clouds with one hand absentmindedly. "I've gone through and considered so many different things." She sighed, standing up and walking over to one of the gates wistfully. "I mean, there are plenty of things I want to have or do, but…when I think about having to risk my life for it, none of the things I want are worth that much."

"How odd," Byakuran observed, watching Yuni look down at the city. "Most of the people I make my offer to accept right away."

"Well…" Yuni grasped the wire of the fence with one hand gingerly. "Maybe the pair of us are just fools?" She smiled at Tsuna, who again had the look of confusion on his face. However, she could tell that he understood a little bit of what she was thinking. "A pair of blissfully ignorant fools…"

"W-What do you mean?"

Turning back to watch the city below, Yuni's smile became sad. "I'm sure it's not all that unusual. Wishing for something so strongly you'd gladly trade your life for it…There must be countless people in this world who have such wishes in their hearts." Clenching her fist around the wiring of the fence, she continued, "Most likely, it means the two of us who can't even figure out what to wish for…haven't experienced a fraction of those people's suffering. We've become so blessed that we've become ignorant fools." She closed her eyes, contemplating.

Tsuna watched her with a sad look, knowing who she was talking about.

"…Why us, of all people?" Yuni turned around. "Doesn't it seem unfair? There are probably people who would give anything for a chance like this…" Her eyes were faraway and lost.

"Yuni…" Tsuna said, reaching out to console her.

The sound of footsteps alerted them of another person's presence. Hibari walked onto the rooftop, aloof gaze in place. Tsuna scrambled over to Yuni, holding Byakuran. They watched the dark-haired male apprehensively, wondering if he would harm them.

_"It's fine."_

Tsuna gasped sharply, turning to look at where Yuni was staring at. At a tower across from them was the figure of Chrome, her ring sparkling an indigo. As Hibari walked towards the duo, his eyes slid to Chrome and then back to Tsuna. He stopped a short distance from them.

"Trying to finish what you started yesterday, Hibari-chan?" Byakuran asked, his usual smile on his face. Hibari ignored the remark.

"You've made contact with it, herbivore." Tsuna faltered under Hibari's cold stare. "What will you do now?"

"I-I…" Tsuna began, trailing off as usual. He wasn't sure – after all, there was a lot of pressure from both sides.

"Hn. Keep in mind what I said yesterday." Having said so, he turned around and walked back to where he came from.

"K-Kyoya-san! Um…What did you wish for when you became an Arcobaleno?" Hibari's steps stopped suddenly as he turned to face Tsuna. "Hiiiieee! I didn't mean to be nosy! I-I was just asking beca-" Hibari swiftly turned around and walked off. As Tsuna watched Hibari's retreating back, he couldn't help but think how lonely Hibari seemed…

* * *

**Beta'd by Pudding Earl - thank you so much~ o w o**

**Here is the promised chapter~ Just a warning ahead of time, my schedule is becoming really busy again, so updates will be slow. Very slow. Sorry for the inconvenience!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Coffee does not own KHR or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica...**

**Most of the dialogue and action are pulled directly from the anime, but some speaking roles and parts are switched or edited. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter Six

"Aria!" Yuni called, as the black-haired girl turned around. "Sorry, but Tsuna and I have some errands to run today, so…"

Aria grinned mischievously. "Oh my – something private?" As the other two hesitated, she broke out into a full smirk. "I'm so jealous~ I guess there's just no room anymore…" She took off running. "…for a third wheel like meeeee!" They could hear her laughing in the distance.

"I-It's not what you think!" Tsuna yelled frantically, sweat dropping at Aria's implied words. "You've got it all wrong!"

"There's no helping it. Aria's always like that." Yuni smiled, watching their friend disappear.

"I-I guess so." Tsuna sighed, giving up.

The two headed to the usual café, where they found Chrome waiting at their table. As they sat down, Chrome smiled. "Right. Let's begin lesson one of our little 'A Day in the Life of an Arcobaleno' class. Are you ready?" The two nodded their heads eagerly.

* * *

The trio returned to where the events of yesterday took place, watching as Chrome's ring pulsed indigo. "These are the remnants of the magic used by that Funeral Wreath we faced yesterday. The core of Funeral Wreath-hunting is scouting the city on foot." She held the ring out for the two of them to see. "Once your Soul Gem picks up a Funeral Wreath's trail, you just follow it until it leads you to the witch."

Chrome began walking following the light of the ring. "It's a lot plainer than I was expecting." Tsuna sighed in relief. At least that part only required walking around. He wasn't sure if he could take too much excitement. They followed the glow of the ring out of the shopping center, and crossed onto a bridge.

"The glow of the gem seems dimmer," Yuni commented as she walked beside Chrome, looking at the jewel of the ring.

"It's because it's been a full night since the witch escaped. There are fewer footprints around to catch hold of now."

Tsuna glanced at Chrome's concentrated face. "What if you had gone after it right away yesterday?"

"I may have been able to finish it off." Chrome's eye never looked up from the indigo gem. "But it wasn't worth leaving the two of you alone after what you'd been through."

"I'm sorry," Yuni apologized in a slightly downcast tone. "We've caused trouble for you."

Chrome laughed. "It's alright." The trio stepped off the bridge and into the city once more. This area seemed abandoned almost, lacking the usual hum of city life and the busy pedestrians.

"Chrome-san? Do you at least have an idea of where the Funeral Wreath might be?" Yuni asked as they reached an old building.

"You often find traces of Funeral Wreaths' auras around car crashes or deadly accidents. That's why I usually check high-traffic streets and spots in the Red Light District, where fights tend to break out first."

"Hiiiiee!" Tsuna yelled. "But that's so scary!"

Chrome smiled. "It's an occupational hazard. Also, out-of-the-way areas where people might try to commit suicide are good places to look. Then, there are hospitals – the most awful places for a Funeral Wreath to take up. It's unbearable to see them draining the precious life force of those who are already weakened with pain and illness." Suddenly, the pulsing rhythm of her jewel steadied into a full shine. "It's reacting to some very powerful magic."

"It must be close," Yuni said quietly.

"There's no mistake – there's a Funeral Wreath here!"

Yuni looked up, taking in a sharp breath. "Chrome-san, look!" She pointed at the top of the building, where a figure leaned against the rails. Suddenly, the person jumped. As Chrome ran forward, her ring transformed to the pair of earrings they saw yesterday and her trident appeared. Slamming her trident into the ground, indigo particles gathered around the falling figure and gently lowered it to the ground.

It was a brunette girl, her hair tied in a ponytail. She seemed to be unconscious. On her neck was a strange symbol, consisting of a crown laced with thorns. "A Funeral Wreath's Kiss…Just as I suspected." Chrome looked at the building. "Let's go!"

The building was eerily silent. Chrome was in the lead, walking cautiously ahead and scanning the areas. Suddenly, her earrings gave off a bright light. The symbol of a crown with thorns appeared, colors and shapes forming the edges of the portal around it. Walking up to it, Chrome reminded them, "You must stay near me once we're inside, alright?"

"Right!" the two answered in unison, jumping into the portal after Chrome.

The strange maze of abstract shapes and nonsense figures soon filled the world around them. In the distance, Tsuna could see the same cotton ball head figures waving their hands and passing roses along. The bottoms of their body consisted of a butterfly, and their usual mustaches were in place. As the trio ran up a flight of stairs, odd looking creatures flew towards them. They had the expected mustache, a couple of weird and colorful eyes, the body of an ice cream, and some weird butterfly wings. With one slash of the trident, the creatures disappeared. As they ran ahead, more and more of the ice cream creatures appeared, wiggling their ugly bodies in the air. A careful sweep of the trident, and they were dispelled.

"Keep it up~ We're almost at the deepest part of the labyrinth~" Byakuran remarked cheerfully, jumping from Tsuna's shoulder to Yuni's.

In front of them was a half-dome. A red door was set into the rose-patterned wall of the dome. On top of the door were runes reading "Gertrud", and the crown of thorns was inked in red above the runes. The cotton ball minions were spread around the floor, raising up their roses and tossing them into a giant pile. Black rose thorns and scissors snapped menacingly from the ground, daring the three humans to come closer. Chrome gripped her trident and pointed it at the mess in front of her. Indigo flames exploded in front of her, wiping the minions and roses away. Now they had a clear path to the door.

As they stepped forward, the door opened, pulling them in. A series of door opened and closed, each one pulling them closer to the center of the labyrinth. The last door opened to reveal an ugly monster. It had a pale mushroom-like body with a drippy green bush as its head. Roses actually grew out of said green bush, and a pair of large butterfly wings was attached to what appeared to be its back. The scenery was a chaotic mess, and her cotton ball minions were all around the ugly creature. It moved and wriggled, but stayed in the same spot.

"Hiiiieee! T-that's a Funeral Wreath?!" Tsuna yelled, jumping back. "I-it's disgusting!"

Chrome smiled. Slamming her trident onto the ground, Tsuna and Yuni watched as the floor transformed into the usual pattern of glowing flowers. They would be safe as long as they stayed within the pentacle. "I'll be fine," Chrome said, before jumping off to face the Funeral Wreath.

Tsuna watched Chrome land in front of the Funeral Wreath. He drew a sharp breath of awe and fear. As a few of the butterfly minions gathered around her feet, she stomped on one. Gertrud, the Funeral Wreath, immediately turned around and emitted a low growl at the purple-haired intruder. With a toss of its head, a large heart-shaped sofa was tossed at Chrome. Chrome jumped away, the sofa landing where she had been seconds ago. Gertrud then jumped up, using its large butterfly wings to fly.

As she prepared to attack, the butterfly minions from earlier flew around her, transforming into a long vine. It lifted her up, dangling her upside down. By then, Gertrud had landed on the ground again. Chrome pointed her trident at Gertrud, shooting out bursts of indigo flames. They seemed to miss Gertrud, landing next to her instead. The vine slammed Chrome into one of the walls, then dangled her close to the green head of Gertrud.

"C-Chrome-san!" Tsuna called in a panic, worried for his friend. Yuni put one hand on his arm lightly.

"She'll be fine, Tsuna."

"Huh?!" Tsuna gaped. The dark-haired girl smiled, pointing at spots in the ground where Chrome's indigo flames had hit.

Indigo threads sprouted from the ground, shredding the roses. Gertrud rolled around, looking at her destroyed garden and shaking in rage. Her green head seemed to explode, the roses perched on top falling off. The head was now a dark murky green, a butterfly stamped in the middle of it. Scissors accompanied her onslaught, snapping dangerously from around her head. Then, without warning, the indigo threads wrapped themselves around Gertrud's body.

"Close, but no cigar." Chrome said, slicing the vine and freeing herself. She did a neat flip in midair. The tips of her trident were pointing once again at Gertrud, and the black crows from yesterday appeared in a swirl of indigo. They attacked with a screech, destroying the Funeral Wreath in one strike. A strange object dropped near her as the scenery distorted again. They pulled away to reveal a sunlit hallway.

Chrome picked up the dropped object, showing it to Tsuna and Yuni. "This is a Grief Seed." It was a strange black orb, covered with silver patterns. "It's a Funeral Wreath's egg."

"E-egg?!"

Chrome nodded. "Funeral Wreaths carry them sometimes. If you're lucky, you'll find one after a battle." Tsuna still didn't look reassured.

"It's fine, Tsunayoshi-kun~ In this form, they're perfectly safe. In fact, they're very valuable because of what they can do." Byakuran announced, watching from Yuni's shoulder.

Holding out her hand, Chrome showed the two her ring. "The color of my Soul gem looks a little muddier now than it did last night, right?" She brought the black orb to the surface of her Soul Gem. "But if I use the Grief Seed…" A cloud of black drifted from the ring to the Grief Seed, leaving her Soul Gem a bright indigo again. "With this, the flames I used up during the fight are restored as well. The rewards to defeating Funeral Wreaths are the Grief Seeds." She showed them the Seed, before tossing it to a dark doorway.

A hand caught the seed. Tsuna and Yuni turned to look at the door in surprise. "It should be good for one more use." Hibari stepped out from the shadows. "I'll let you have it…" Chrome said. "…Hibari Kyoya-san. Or do you dislike sharing with others?"

"It was your kill."

In the blink of an eye, the Grief Seed was flying towards Chrome. She caught it smoothly, a frown on her face. "I see. So that's your answer." Without a reply, Hibari walked away again. Tsuna and Yuni stared after him, the former with his jaw hanging and the latter with a slightly confused expression.

"We don't have to be enemies…" Yuni said thoughtfully.

Chrome smiled wryly. "It only works if both parties feel the same."

* * *

Outside, the girl Chrome had saved was slowly waking up. "Where am I? Huh? I…" Her voice was still weak, and her eyes half-closed. As she recounted what she was about to do, her eyes widened. "H-hahi! What was I about to do? Why would I…?" She broke down into tears. Chrome leaned down, patting her on the back.

"It's okay. You're safe now." Chrome smiled. "You were just having a bad dream, that's all."

_"It's too confusing, figuring out what I would wish for," _Tsuna thought, watching the scene. He smiled. _"But Chrome was so amazing when she was fighting to save people…if even someone like me could go around helping people like that, I think that would be…_

_"…truly wonderful."_

* * *

**Beta'd by Pudding Earl - thank you so much~ o w o**

**Alright, as I mentioned, a very slow update. And as stated on my profile, I'm taking a little break from Magia. So this story will be put on HIATUS until I find my inspiration again... Sorry to all of you who read this. Don't worry, I'll come back to this story. It's just that I'm exploring a new concept and so...yup. Thank you for putting up with this!**


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